Leaves In The River
by corystory
Summary: Shizuru and Natsuki spend their childhood in what seems like a normal boarding school but as they grow older, they have to come to terms with the feelings they share while preparing themselves for the haunting reality that awaits them.


"The results of your blood work came in today. Everything looks normal," Reito stated as he looked up from the stack of papers he held. "You listening, Shizuru?"

"Yes," I murmured in a low voice as I continued to look out the office window. There were several young children playing in the yard below. There was also an old woman hurrying through the yard, her back was stooped as if a great weight rested on her shoulders.

"I'm very happy with your progress. Seems like we won't have to worry about anymore scares coming from you. You are pretty much past the stage where things can go wrong. We'll just keep monitoring your status to be on the safe side." I heard Reito push back his chair and make his way towards me. I pulled my eyes away from the scene below when he gave my shoulder a comforting squeeze. His kind eyes searched mine as I studied the face of my handler.

Dr. Kanzaki was a handsome man with striking gold eyes and a chiseled face. It was no wonder why most of the teenage girls that attended Fuuka Academy spoke of him in giggled whispers whenever he passed by.

"I have something for you today," He smiled. "I hope it will cheer you up."

I watched curiously as he withdrew his hand and opened up the drawer to his desk. He pulled out a plainly wrapped package before holding it out to me. I pulled away from the window to accept the gift. After fingering the twine bow, I gently tore into the paper being careful not to rip the wrapping. I slowly uncovered a small, leather book that could easily fit into my pocket.

"It's a journal," Reito explained, "I want you to start writing down what you're feeling. God knows you keep all of them bottled up underneath that beautiful mask of yours, Shizuru. It might be good for you to express your feelings."

As he said this, I popped open the snap that held the book closed and began thumbing through the empty pages. "Thank you, Dr. Reito."

"Hey, how many times do I have to tell you? It's just Reito when we're alone, okay?" He smiled another one of his infamous smiles.

I nodded in understanding. "Thank you…Reito."

* * *

The piano fell silent as the school's anthem came to an end. Mrs. Maria once again approached the podium on the stage. Her voice rang clear over the microphone as she commanded, "Take your seats."

All at once every student in the assembly hall sat in the church-like pews and waited in silence. I sat in the second to last row in the very back of the room and waited for Mrs. Maria to begin her speech. Her sharp eyes glanced around coldly, most likely picking out all the troublemakers' faces and confirming that she had their undivided attention.

"Now," she spoke in a serious tone. "Fuuka Academy prides itself on cultivating model students so there will be **zero tolerance** when it comes to rambunctious delinquents. Late last night we had an incident in the second floor girl's bathroom. Apparently one or more of you thought it would be quite comical if all the toilets lids were glued shut."

At this moment, everyone started to chatter and giggle amongst themselves. I watched silently as Mrs. Maria's mood went from bad to worse in a matter of seconds. "SILENCE!" She shouted, her voice echoing off the rafters in the ceiling. Immediately, the students fell quiet once again.

"If anyone knows who is responsible for this, I demand you speak up now. Anyone who is caught withholding evidence will be found just as guilty as the culprit who did this so I suggest someone comes forward. **Now**."

A pin could have been heard dropping by how deafening the silence was in the hall.

It was in that moment that I noticed a girl around my age sitting a couple of pews in front of me. I had a perfect view of her and her friend as they smirked knowingly at each other. Suddenly, the girl's head turned and I was held captive by striking emerald eyes. I averted my eyes when I realized I had been staring and to my astonishment, I felt warmth flood across my face.

"So no one is coming forward then? Fine. We'll do this the hard way then. The afternoon break for today and tomorrow is cancelled. I expect everyone to go straight to class."

A resounding groan followed the unexpected news.

Mrs. Maria took one last look around the auditorium before saying, "You are all dismissed. Report to your first period class."

I quickly got to my feet and glided out the door. I didn't dare look back since I could still feel those emerald orbs watching my retreating back.

* * *

Now that I knew of her existence, I would pick her out of crowds or spot her in between classes. I'm not sure why she caught my interest. Maybe it was her rebellious nature or her guarded expressions but whatever it was, I found my eyes drawn to her. Though this time, I was very careful not to be caught staring again. Through a classmate I had discovered that her name was Natsuki Kuga. She was a first year which explained why I hadn't seen her before and her handler was Dr. Alyssa Greer.

I didn't really know much else about her, though I found myself wanting to learn more.

My chance finally came when I was walking among Fuuka's flower garden. The garden is one of my favorite places to go when I need to think. It was quiet enough to melt my troubles away since no one ever wandered this far away from campus. It was too close to the edge of the Academy's border.

Movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention before I realized that I wasn't alone. I immediately recognized the slender form as Natsuki Kuga. I stopped suddenly before she could take notice of my approach and debated on whether or not I should just walk away. She certainly did not seem like she would appreciate any company if the deep scowl on her face was any indication.

I was ready to turn around and leave the girl to her thoughts but the sudden movement of her arm extending from her side caused me to pause. I was close enough to see that she was about to crush a thriving blossom in her fist.

Without thinking I said, "Ara, you shouldn't do that." The girl quickly whipped her head toward the sound of my voice. "Those flowers are trying their best to bloom in the short amount of time they have."

The startled expression on her face slowly disappeared until she was scowling once again. She scoffed before replying, "A lot like us, huh?"

Her voice was full of such disdain and anger that my mask almost gave way to my surprise. I smiled my agreement to her words. She stood in place, perhaps trying to guess my intentions. I made sure to give away nothing. "What are you doing out here?" she asked after some time. "Aren't you scared of being so close to the border?"

"Not really," I stated for lack of anything better to say.

"Oh, really?" She smirked, "Then why don't you jump over the fence, Miss Goody Two-Shoes?"

I didn't bother reacting to the name she called me. I knew that she was trying to get a rise out of me just like I knew that she was putting me through a test of sorts. I also knew that if I called her bluff then it would most likely change the entire outcome of our relationship.

Not even bothering to see if she was following me, I casually made my way toward the Academy's border. It wasn't long before we came upon the wrought iron fence that marked the end of Fuuka territory. My anxiety was steadily building as I approached the boundary but I was careful not to let it show on my face. I stopped right in front of the iron bars and looked out into the dense forest that began just beyond the fence. I reached out and grabbed hold of the bars as my mind reminded me of all the stories I had grown up listening to.

One story that I often had nightmares about was how a boy named Haru was playing baseball with friends when the ball was accidentally hit over the boundary. He had jumped the fence to retrieve it when dark shadows emerged from the behind the trees. They had snapped his legs so he couldn't get away and then dragged him deep into the forest. He was never heard from again.

I could almost see the dark shadows beyond the trees, lying in wait and ready to drag me off. My hands started to tremble where they gripped the bars. I turned around to find a still smirking Natsuki, her hands deep in her pockets as she leaned against a nearby tree.

I slowly pulled myself up till I was perched on the top of the fence. My hands had a hold of the bars so tightly that my knuckles were white and I could feel a cold sheen of sweat coating my back and neck. My legs were shaking so badly that I almost slipped off the iron rungs before I was able to steady myself. My plan was to barely touch the other side with the toe of my shoe before throwing myself back over to the safe side. I was just about to swing my leg over when I felt a hard tug on the back of my blouse. I tumbled over backwards and right on top of Natsuki. We tumbled over each other till we came to a stop with her above me.

"Are you insane?" She yelled right into my face. Her eyes held a mixture of admiration and fear. "You wanting to die or something?"

I just heaved a huge sigh of relief. I knew that what I had almost did was absolutely senseless and Dr. Reito would have thrown a fit, but I knew I had earned Natsuki's respect and, in turn, her friendship.

* * *

**Okay, okay. So I know that everyone reading this is like, "wtf, Cory? What the hell is a handler? What's with the whole border thing? And, most importantly, is Shizuru sick?" **  
**Well I am here to assure you that all your questions will be answered in due time. Just have a little patience people. As the story progress more and more things will become clear. If this story works out like I had envisioned, then we are all in for a bumpy ride. So fasten your seat belts everyone and get to reviewing. Oh, and remember, reviews are the fuel for this crazy train of a story so keep 'em coming.**

**- CoryStory  
**


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